Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe died in hospital on Friday after being shot at a campaign event in the Nara region earlier in the day.
His death was reported by national broadcaster NHK and Japanese news agencies Jiji and Kyodo.
NHK said "former prime minister Abe died at a hospital in Kashihara city, Nara, where he was receiving medical treatment. He was 67."
National broadcaster NHK said a man in his 40s had been arrested for attempted murder and a gun had been confiscated from him, citing police sources.
The former leader had been delivering a speech at an event when the sound of gunshots was heard, NHK and the Kyodo news agency said.
"He was giving a speech and a man came from behind," a young woman at the scene told NHK.
"The first shot sounded like a toy. He didn't fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke," she added.
"After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him cardiac massage."
Abe, 67, collapsed and was bleeding from the neck, a source told the Jiji news agency.
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020, when he was forced to step down due to health issues.
